ESKOM HAILS NEW BEGINNINGS

Medupi produces its first power
Monday, 02 March 2015: Eskom is pleased to announce that first power was produced out of Medupi’s Unit 6 today at 11:03, making it the first of Medupi power station’s six units to be synchronised.
Synchronisation, or first power, is the process whereby the generator in the unit is electrically connected to the national power grid, in such a way that its power is perfectly aligned with all the other generators to generate and deliver electricity into the national power grid.
According to Mr Tshediso Matona, Eskom’s Chief Executive, this is the final stage marking an exciting milestone towards full commercial power. “Today, we celebrate the achievement with Team Medupi. The electricity flowing into the grid marks a new beginning. Within the next three months, South Africa will see Medupi unit 6’s full potential of 794MW being fed into the South African national grid. I congratulate Team Medupi, for their efforts in achieving this important milestone for South Africa.”
In anticipation of commercial operation, a power station manager has been appointed. The past six years has been spent training and developing a core set of people who will operate the cutting edge technology that makes this power station unique in the world.
“Approximately 350 men and women are waiting to join the force of South Africans making history when the unit gets operational. While Unit 6 is the first of Medupi’s six units, it should be noted that all required auxiliary services for the entire power station are ready to ensure that Medupi’s total output of 4 764MW is fully synchronised to the South African power grid,” Mr Matona added.
Minister of Public Enterprises, Ms. Lynne Brown said: “The synchronisation of Unit 6 at Medupi Power station is a step towards full power generation (794MW) and therefore, a step closer to alleviating some of the energy challenges currently faced by South Africa. This will contribute significantly to South Africa’s and the region’s economy in the long run.”

“We recognise that this is only the beginning, but I am confident that achieving this significant milestone will sustain the dedication and commitment of the Eskom team as they work towards the completion of the project,” Minister Brown concluded.

LOAD SHEDDING ALERT

The power Utility has declared a Power System Emergency for today 26-02-2015. 10h00-22h00, loadshedding Stage 2 and loadshedding curtailment stage 2 have been implemented to stabilise system. Please refer to the schedule to see how this affects you. Thank you

BUDGET SPEECH - PROPOSED TAX INCREASE

Cape Town – Taxpayers should expect to pay a percentage point more from their personal income tax for government to raise an extra R12 billion this year and another R15 billion next year, the National Treasury said on Wednesday.

Government has also proposed an overall increase in fuel levies of 80.5 cents per litre, of which 30.5 cents per litre is an increase in the general fuel levy and 50 cents per litre is for the Road Accident Fund (RAF).

The proposals, however, will see those in the lower income bracket – those that earn less than R181 900 per annum, being spared from tax increases.

“The 2015 Budget proposals build on the progressive character of the tax system by raising all marginal rates by one percentage point, except for the lowest bracket, which remains unchanged.

“Leaving aside other adjustments, the rate changes will result in individuals with an annual taxable income of R200 000 a year paying about R21 more in monthly taxes.

“Those earning R500 000 will pay an extra R271 per month; and those earning R1.5 million will pay an extra R1 105 each month,” the National Treasury said.

The increases, which were widely expected, follows Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene’s announcement when he tabled the Medium Term Budget Policy Statement, dubbed the mini budget, in October last year, that to bolster government low revenue collection, difficult tax decisions would be taken to raise the shortfall.

Delivering the National Budget in the National Assembly, the Minister said the budget tax proposals were aimed at increasing tax revenues for the corporate tax base, increasing incentives for small businesses and promoting a greener economy.

“However, tax brackets, rebates and medical scheme contribution credits will be adjusted for inflation, as in previous years. The net effect is that there will be tax relief below about R450 000 a year, while those with higher incomes will pay more in tax.

“In essence, government aims to narrow the budget deficit, stabilise debt and begin to rebuild the fiscal space,” he said.

A combination of a lower expenditure ceiling and higher taxes will narrow the budget deficit to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2017/ 18, the National Treasury said.

“The 2015 Budget tax proposals are expected to add R16.8 billion to revenue in the next year, before accounting for fiscal drag, and carry forward over subsequent years.”

Increase in fuel levy proposed

Government has also proposed an increase in fuel levies spend.

This will result in overall increase in the fuel levies going up by 80.5 cents per litre, of which 30.5 cents per litre is an increase in the general fuel levy and 50 cents per litre is for the Road Accident Fund (RAF), as described below.

According to the National Treasury, South Africa’s fuel levies are comparatively low by international standards, and the recent decline in fuel prices creates space for an increase.

“An increase in the general fuel levy of 30.5 cents a litre will take effect in April,” the Minister said.

The National Treasury also said that the additional revenue will help to close the gap in the public finances over the medium term.

Beyond that, several long-term policy objectives, including national health insurance and expanding the post-school education system, imply permanent spending increases that cannot be financed from existing levels of revenue.

The department also said that South Africans need to consider and debate the adjustments required to create room for these progressive spending policies.

“The impact of any proposed measures on employment and the cost of labour, as well as the long-term growth of the economy, needs to be taken into account,” the National Treasury said. – SAnews.gov.za

SEVERE WEATHER PLUNGE CITY INTO FLOODS

The events of yesterday afternoon can arguably be described as the worst rain storm in the history of our city ever recorded. From our assessment this morning it is clear that the whole city was affected by the cloud burst as could be seen in pictures being posted on social media and other print media. The impact of the storm on our city has been disruptive, with houses being flooded, electricity supply being disrupted due to cable damage and/or overhead lines being damaged as well as trees being uprooted while lives were also saved. Thankfully our water supply system has not been affected. Unfortunately several sewerage pumps have experienced electrical damage impacting on the pumping away of sewerage. So we can expect some blockages but will be dealt with by various teams that have been deployed. We are currently busy with mopping up operations. Although several houses were flooded, and we arranged for possible relocation, people opted to remain at their homes. Electricity supply in most areas had been restored during the course of the night and repairs will continue today and the rest of the week in other affected areas. Already, today mopping up operations are underway. The assessment at the Kagisho dam did not break but rather the sheer volume of the water was such that it overran the walls leading to surrounding areas to flood. We are looking at the matter of supporting the affected areas to normalise the situation and already early this morning a team had commenced with inspections. Our housing offices in Galeshewe we today closed due to the floods while the basement of the civic centre was also flooded. Both the Executive Mayor and municipal manager were monitoring our staff response to the emergency situation during the evening and would like to complement our emergency, security, traffic and services personnel who worked tirelessly last night. Warnings for more rain has been set out, we urge everyone to take necessary precautions.

NOTICE OF SITE INSPECTION (Q083)

Q083/2015 CONSTRUCTION OF A FLAMMABLE LIQUID STORAGE BUILDING WITH A TOOLS SHED FOR BEACONSFIELD WWTW on Wednesday25th February 2015 @ 10H00. Suppliers that already attended the previous meeting on the 20th February 2015 do not have to attend.

PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES BOLD PLAN TO TACKLE ENERGY CRISIS

12-02-2015

Cape Town – President Jacob Zuma dedicated much of his State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Thursday evening, to reveal plans that are in motion to deal with the country’s electricity challenges.
Delivering the 2015 SONA at the National Assembly on Thursday night, the President unveiled a battle plan aimed at resolving short and long term energy challenges.
He delivered his speech as Eskom’s power grid remains constrained, with the power utility being forced to implement load shedding in recent times.
“We have developed a plan which involves short, medium term and long term responses.
“The short and medium term plan involves improved maintenance of Eskom power stations, enhancing the electricity generation capacity and managing the electricity demand.
“The long term plan involves finalising our long term energy security master plan.
“As a priority we are going to stabilise Eskom’s finances to enable the utility to manage the current period. In this regard, government will honour its commitment to give Eskom around R23 billion in the next fiscal year,” he said.
Energy constraints hinder economic growth and are also a major inconvenience to economic growth, the President said.Government’s short medium energy plan
The President made a plea to all individuals, households, industries and government departments to play their part by saving electricity to avoid load shedding.
An instruction has been issued to all government-owned buildings, through the Department of Public Works, to be energy efficient.
President Zuma said the short and medium term plan involved improving the maintenance of Eskom power stations, enhancing the electricity generation capacity and managing the electricity demand.
“Given the high cost of diesel, Eskom has been directed to switch from diesel to gas as a source of energy for the utility’s generators. Households are also being encouraged to switch from electricity to gas for cooking, heating and other uses,” he said.
He said the construction of three power stations – Kusile, Medupi and Ingula – will add 10 000 megawatts of power to the national grid.
The President said government was also pursuing alternative energy sources.
To date, government has procured 4 000 megawatts from Independent Power Producers (IPPs) using renewable sources.
“The first three bid windows of the renewable energy procurement process attracted more than R140 billion from private investors.
“A total of 3 900 megawatts of renewable energy has also been sourced, with 32 projects with a capacity of just over 1 500 megawatts completed and connected to the grid.
“Eskom itself has completed the construction of the Sere Wind Farm, which is already delivering 100 megawatts to the grid, well ahead of its intended launch in March this year,” he said.
Some of the measures taken to get additional power onto the grid include procuring 2 400 megawatts of new coal fired power generation capacity from IPPs in December last year.
The procurement process for 2 400 megawatts of new gas fired generation will commence in the first quarter of the new financial year (2015/16) and a total of 2 600 megawatts of hydro-electric capacity will be sourced from the SADC region.

President gives preview of the long-term energy plan
The President said government would pursue gas, petroleum, nuclear, hydropower and other sources as part of the energy mix.
He said South Africa was surrounded by gas rich countries, while shale gas deposits have been discovered in the Karoo region.
“The Operation Phakisa Ocean Economy initiative, launched last year, also promises to unveil more oil and gas resources, which will be a game changer for our country and region.
“Government is also exploring the procurement of the 9 600 megawatts nuclear build programme as approved in the Integrated Resource Plan 2010-2030,” he said.
President Zuma said government has signed Inter-Governmental Agreements and carried out vendor parade workshops in which five countries came to present their proposals on nuclear power. This includes the United States of America, South Korea, Russia, France and China.
“All these countries will be engaged in a fair, transparent and competitive procurement process to select a strategic partner or partners to undertake the nuclear build programme.
“Our target is to connect the first unit to the grid by 2023, just in time for Eskom to retire part of its aging power plants.
“With regards to hydro power, the Grand Inga Hydro-electrical Project partnership with the Democratic Republic of Congo will generate over 48 000 megawatts of clean hydro-electricity. South Africa will have access to over 15 000 megawatts,” President Zuma said. – SAnews.gov.za

ESKOM LOADSHEDDING ALERT NOTICE

Dear public due to sometimes untimeley and shortnotice alerts regarding the power system and shedding status we urge the public to follow The Solplaatje Municipalitys' Facebook page, this is an attempt to notify the public timeously and promptly as the website might not necessarily be accessible to everyone at any given time. This been said we will however publish in advance weekly updates of the power system that would give a forecast for the week to follow, along with this any high scale emergencies will also be published here. Your Facebook account notifications will also be sufficiently fed with all these updates provided you are following Sol Plaatje on Facebook.

Temporary Road Closure.

Kindly be advised that the temporary road closures at traffic circle of Memorial and Bultfontein Roads including a portion of Bishops Avenue have been closed as per the authorisation of the South African Roads Agency, by the contractor doing construction work for the Sol Plaatje University on Bultfontein Road. As previously indicated, these closures are only temporary and all measures have be put in place to ensure smooth movement of traffic especially with the reopening of schools tomorrow in the city.

System Status Presentation - ESKOM

On December 9 we said the following…

We apologised to the nation for the inconvenience
of the past few weeks due to load shedding.We communicated that for an extended period the
power system is extremely constrained and
vulnerable. With the system being tight, any abnormal event
pushes us into load shedding. With the reserve margin being low, we do not have
enough capacity to meet demand, necessitating
planned, controlled and rotational load shedding, to
protect the power system from a total country-wide
blackout. We also said that over the last few months we have
seen a significant increase in unplanned
maintenance/breakdowns on our plant (between
5000MW to 9000 MW) that has had a compounding
negative effect on power system reliability.

ELECTRONIC PROCUREMENT SYSTEM

In support of Sol Plaatje Municipality’s procurement objectives and policies it has implemented a web based e-procurement system through a selected trade portal, www.webportunities.net .

Our tenders and RFQ’s as well as suppliers’ purchase orders, contracts and performance profiles can be retrieved from this website provided that you are registered with Sol Plaatje on the website. Registration with Sol Plaatje on the website is free of charge. We urge you to register as soon as possible to avoid loss of business opportunities. Please note that this replaces our previous supplier data base. All suppliers have to re-register.